Because if we're going to try and stop the misuse of our favorite comics and their protagonists by the companies that write and publish them, we've got to see what both the printed and online comics news is doing wrong. This blog focuses on both the good and the bad, the newspaper media and the online websites. Unabashedly. Unapologetically. Scanning the media for what's being done right and what's being done wrong.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Here's an example on Variety of DC - and owner Time Warner - caving to the Chinese commie censors who don't want support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests:

DC Comics has yanked a poster for a new Batman title from its social media accounts after the image drew criticism from Chinese commenters who said it appeared to support the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The artwork depicts Batman throwing a Molotov cocktail against a backdrop of hot-pink words spelling out the new comic book’s tagline, “the future is young.” It was posted on DC Comics’ Twitter and Instagram accounts; both platforms are blocked in mainland China. The poster was meant to promote a forthcoming DC Black Label comic called “Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child,” due to hit shelves Dec. 11. DC Black Label is an imprint that seeks to appeal to an older-skewing readership through reprints and original limited series.

But the poster came under fire from Chinese internet users who contended that it contained coded messages in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. They said that the Molotov cocktail alluded to young Hong Kong protesters’ more violent tactics, that the “dark knight’s” choice of black attire referred to the black-clad Hong Kong protesters, and that the “golden child” of the book’s title was a veiled reference to the color yellow, which was taken up by previous pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong five years ago.

Honestly, the only bewildering thing about this poster they speak of is that Batman would throw a molotov cocktail, which isn't that far removed from using guns, which he's rarely depicted using since the first few Golden Age stories. In any event, of course it's regrettable DC/TW caved to a form of censorship so as not to offend a potential market they covet:

China is a critical market for Warner Bros., which owns DC Entertainment and DC Comics, its publishing subsidiary. “Aquaman” broke Chinese box office records last December to take in a cumulative $292 million, while “Shazam!” made $43.8 million in April.

With the “Batman” image, the company joins the ranks of Western entities like the NBA and Disney that have been thrown onto the minefield of Chinese politics, with Chinese nationalists threatening to boycott on the one hand and others lobbing criticism for seeming to sacrifice freedom of speech for profit on the other.

See, here we go again, with politics trumping any kind of educational statement, ruining art, and making a mockery out of any anti-totalitarian statements that came before. If anything, this proves TW, as the DC owner, is no more immune to politically-motivated censorship than Disney is as the owner of Marvel. Don't be shocked if they alter the coverscan on the official Black Label release, assuming it hasn't be sent to press yet. If they won't promote it on their social media accounts, chances are it won't be published any different in print when the Batbook comes out.

Update: I believe I've found a Twitter post showing the cover in question:

The poster is being used to promote the December 11 release of DC Black Label comic book Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, written by popular comic scribe Frank Miller. Black Label is a DC Comics imprint featuring titles for more mature audiences.

It sounds like Miller's been thrown under the bus again by a publisher who refused to accept his Holy Terror story as the basis for a Batman tale, resulting in his publishing it as a separate story nearly a decade ago. What's happening now may not be new, but it sure does say a lot about the rotten apples running DC today.

Progressives have generally supported the protests in Hong Kong; it is the US President who has been reluctant to speak out, although he has had no hesitations about weighing in on the internal affairs of Britain, Germany and Israel.

I dunno - progressives have been real critical of the silent Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, and of the much-accused Bill Cosby, and they have not been silent about the pouty Orange guy in Washington.

And progressives have been critical of China for what it has been doing against the protesters in Hong Kong. You are saying that progressives support the protesters but are not critical of China; how do you parse out a distinction between the two positions? Generally, progressives and traditional conservatives have all been supporters of the demonstrators and critical of China; in America it is only the right-wingers, the forever-Trumpers, who have been deferential to China.

Also a lot depends on how you define white. Are hispanics white, or Turks, or Saudi Arabians, or Hawaians, and does the one-drop rule still apply? The definition seems to change every week, and different racists draw the line in different places.

About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.